Robert Easton, athlete

Induction year: 2013Sport: Athletics (Wheelchair Racing)

​Wheelchair racer Robert Easton from Edmonton, AB, competed at the 1984 and 1988 Paralympic Summer Games, earning eight gold medals and one silver. He held and improved on every world record for track & field events in his class for the period from 1982 to 1988.

Easton, who has cerebral palsy, was introduced to wheelchair sports in 1976, initially playing wheelchair basketball. In 1977 he took up wheelchair racing and by 1981 was a major force on the international scene.

"The quality I remember most about Robert was his willingness to contribute to fellow athletes as a mentor, a leader and even as the guy who was behind the anonymous equipment donation that would arrive just in time for younger athletes," said Janet Dunn, a founding member of both Alberta Cerebral Palsy Sports and Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Associations.

Today with over 30 years of public service, Easton continues an unending contribution to sport. In the early 1990s, he established the Easton Family Scholarship at the University of Alberta, awarded annually to a student with superior academic achievement entering the third or fourth year in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation focusing on adapted physical education.

A professional accountant, Easton served as the Chief Financial Officer for the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport, responsible for the 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat. Easton is currently an Executive Director with the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development in Victoria, B.C.

Easton is also a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Hall of Fame.